I know this is a sensitive
issue and being a dermatologist doesn't mean i only see patients for aesthetic
purposes... Half my practice involves skin diseases. This is one article for
the GUYS... well only some guys. Being one of the few male dermatologists in
our hospital, I usually get to see these patients and get referrals from other
doctors regarding this problem.
To you guys out there, if
you see lesions or growths down there (pubic/genital/perianal/inguinal areas)
and you know it shouldn't be there, don't hesitate and have it checked right
away. It may just be a simple condition like an irritant or allergic
contact dermatitis, a fungal infection or a bacterial folliculitis... it could
just be a benign growth like a mole, cyst, skin tag, etc... Or, it could
be something more serious like STD's or something that could be cancerous. The
most common skin-related STD's that I see are viral infections: Genital
warts(HPV) followed by Molluscum contagiosum (MCV) and Genital Herpes(HSV).
Those who don't seek
consult right away usually have the following reasons... one of which is
embarrassment in telling and showing the doctor (especially if it's a female
doctor) since its a taboo topic in our culture and other reasons are fear of
knowing the disease they have, fear of the parents or partner finding out, fear
of the treatment that will be done and ignorance or not caring about it at all.
Depending on which
condition, most of these are usually easy to treat especially when caught early
on. There are various ways of managing them (medical or procedural) but most
guys fear the pain involved in doing a procedure on their private parts. There
are actually lots of ways to make the whole procedure painless but people don't
know that because the topic as I said is taboo in our culture. Most of them
usually tell me that they should have had it checked way before if they knew
that the procedure didn't hurt at all.
If you prolong it and just
brush it aside, one or all of the following could happen: nothing... if it is a
benign lesion, multiply or increase in size or in some diseases spread
systemically making it more difficult treat... be transmitted to other people,
especially your loved ones. So don't prolong it and have it checked. Prolonging
it may lead to worrying about it all the time and this could make a person
develop anxiety, depression and a decrease in libido. So do it for your health,
do it for your partner.
Since this is a sensitive
topic you can send an email directly at slacsonmd@gmail.com
for any questions or you set an appointment.
